Drops in the Ocean
by dark wink
Summary: Riku, Sora, and Kairi rebuild the raft and set off to explore their world, discovering in the process that they're just three drops of water in the ocean, three dots of light in the night sky. Rework of The Others


**Drops in the Ocean  
**by dark wink

i: bon(fire) nuit

There was a small river, locally known as the Elsiburn—more like a big stream in the nitty details—that wended its way gently through the thicket on the outskirts of their town. Just upstream of its confluence with the ocean stood a launch point for boats, a rickety platform that only saw the occasional canoe now and again, nearly overtaken as it was by a low-growing mangha palm.

It was here that Riku told them he was leaving, three weeks to the day beforehand, as they lounged the afternoon indolently on the little pier. They were all a little drowsy, a little happy. Kairi was reclining back to back with Sora, the bushy haired boy's head lolling on her shoulder and their legs dangling off opposite sides of the narrow dock. She stifled a giggle as she felt tiny minnows darting swiftly at her toes and back out again.

"I've been thinking," Riku offered nonchalantly, a fairly innocuous lead-in. Kairi lost a giggle in turn as Sora tickled her ear with a sleepy murmur; something along the lines of 'stop press,' she wasn't sure. The silver haired boy was lying on his back, professedly convinced that the uneven wooden slats worked wonders for achey muscles. Kairi wasn't sure whether his constant fidgeting was because of or in spite of this.

"That sounds vague enough to be suspicious," Kairi stated matter-of-factly, staring at him askance. For all the ways they were similar—they were more alike than people gave them credit for, she thought—the two boys were just as different, especially to the eye. Riku had high cheek bones and the strong, straight nose; striking features so different from Sora's broader face and wide, expressive eyes.

"Where--wherzZZZ...."

Grins split both their faces as Sora dozed off completely. Kairi shifted a little and allowed her head to tilt back to rest side by side with Sora's. She basked in the breezy warmth of an almost-perfect day--they _did_ have school tomorrow, but that wasn't something to dwell on; it would soon be over anyways. The overhanging fronds of the mangha tree cast dappled shadows on the trio, her face tilted toward the sun, and _oh,_ Sora's hair was like a pillow....

It was the eyes that underscored the difference, she decided. Sora laid everything out, and Riku's held an enigmatic quality that made her wonder whether she was just scratching the surface of his thoughts. Just like now.

"To finish that train of thought, where might you be going, Riku?" she asked curiously.

**º****oº**

There was a small river (little more than a stream really) locally known as the Elsiburn, that wended its way gently through the thicket on the outskirts of their town. Near the mouth of the stream stood a launching point for boats, a rickety old platform that only saw the occasional canoe now and again, nearly overtaken as it was by a low-growing mangha palm. It was as they lounged an indolent afternoon on this little pier that Riku told them he was leaving.

It was warm and breezy, and they were all a little sleepy, and Kairi wondered if he had planned it that way; his mind worked strangely sometimes. The silver haired boy was lying on his back, professedly convinced that the uneven wooden slats worked wonders for back knots. Dappled sunlight played through the overhanging fronds, and her eyes lazily traced the mottled shadows it cast on his body; roving over hand and hip and wrinkled white button-down, along the contour of his exposed collarbone, until her heavy-lidded gaze came to rest on his face.

"So, what do you think?" he asked casually.

Kairi bit back a giggle as Sora ticked her ear with a sleepy murmur; something along the lines of 'stop press,' she wasn't sure. She was reclining back to back with the bushy haired boy, his head lolling on her shoulder and their feet dangling off opposite sides of the narrow dock. The giggle did escape as tiny minnows rippled the water as they darted in and out from her toes.

"I think," she stated matter-of-factly, "that you are a very good-looking guy, and that 'fishing' sounds vague enough to be suspicious."

Riku chuckled. "You don't have to ego-stroke to get it out of me," he said, prompting a shameless grin from the redhead.

In all the ways they were similar—and there were more than people gave them credit for, Kairi thought—the two boys were just as different, not the least of which to the eye. Riku had high cheek bones and the strong, straight nose; striking features so different from Sora's broader face and wide, expressive eyes. It was the eyes that underscored the difference, she decided, as two startlingly turquoise eyes caught her own, almost catlike in appearance. Sora laid everything out, and Riku's held an enigmatic quality that made her wonder whether she was just scratching the surface of his thoughts. Just like now.

**º****oº**

In melodramatic fashion they likened it to the end of an era, and visions of grandeur danced in the boys' heads. Wakka wanted drums. Tidus wanted war paint. Riku didn't care as long as there was a bonfire; on this point he was insistent. "Big fire. Huge." He pantomimed to Kairi with overstated gestures. 'Okay _Alley-Man_' the redhead replied, grinning as a finger waggled at her in mock consternation.

Selphie wanted there to be dancing; the impulsive, expressive kind. "I'll dance my way there and then dance all night," she declared, then smothered a giggle as Tidus kicked out his legs in a heel-to-toe swing and pranced around her in a jocular circle. "Quit it!" she half yelled and half laughed, yanking on the blitzer's arm. "You shouldn't be allowed in public! Ever!"

Sora wanted simply to be with his friends, and Kairi wanted it to be memorable – for the three of them, for Riku most of all. With Sora's enthusiastic support she offered the silver-haired boy a gift; "Anything!" she proclaimed with dazzling smile. He turned it down – she had an inkling he might – but the crinkle at the corners of his eyes spoke volumes like nothing else. 'Anything's a big gift' he said softly, 'and it's enough for me.'

It was moments like that when Kairi was reminded, accompanied by a slow rising of butterflies, of the kind of friend that Riku was. A pretty blush settled rosy on her cheeks, and she ducked her head and murmured her excuses. "Of course he turned it down," Sora remarked flippantly when they regrouped. "He's too thick for something so obvious. We'll have to bludgeon it into him with liquor."

**º****oº**

In all the ways they were similar, they were just as different, to the eye at the least. Riku had the high cheekbones and the strong, straight nose. Sora's face was broader, with wide, expressive eyes that could as easily show a lifetime of joy or sorrow. It was the eyes that underscored the difference; Riku's retained an enigmatic quality that made her wonder if she was just scratching the surface of his thoughts.

At first Kairi berated herself for the contradicting feelings that seeped into her waking thoughts. "Things will work out," Sora assured her in his confident manner after a particularly clumsy dissemble on her part. His words alone were

but seemed to realize the futility in time to be swept up in the excitement that gripped her friends. She knew, and it was infectiously easy to laugh and smile around her crowd. _Yes,_ she thought,_ things would work out in time._It was the end of an e ra, after all.

There is truth in Sora's remark. Like a weevil through the proverbial grapevine the info was broadcast. Word of mouth was a veritable force of nature on the Destiny Islands.

Oh yes, Riku's party was shaping up to be quite the spectacle. Like a weevil through the grapevine, news of the sendoff spread; and the architects bickered among themselves as to who let the ball slip, and whether it mattered, and whether anyone cared. Consensus suggested no. Press was press, and there were sure to be contributions in the name of Riku's last hurrah.

Last? _Right_, Kairi reminded herself, for must have been the dozenth time. Riku was leaving, though last was perhaps a bit strong of a word, and certainly more depressing. He would be back at the end of summer, after his three month stint on the fishing boat.

A giddy mood had bubbled up in all of them. Kairi thought it must have been somewhat similar to the feeling of a first crush, but she could nether confirm nor deny that sentiment. She had never had a first crush; at least not in so many words. Nervous excitement and anticipation was as best as she could describe it. Half of it was no doubt the imminent end of the academic year, an ache shared by the rest of the student crowd.

**ºoº**

_This is the story of Humperdink Bard, the handsomest duck in all St Canard;  
Who tried to seduce Miss Lulubelle Loon, prettiest thing in all the lagoon;_

_Humperdink said to Lulubelle Loon,__  
"Lulu," he said, said he;  
Come fly away, in the sky we shall play,  
Come fly away, with me.  
_

~_DW _


End file.
